A review by cmclarabee
Cravings: How I Conquered Food by Judy Collins

4.0

This book was a lot better than I expected it to be when I spotted it and thought, "Judy Collins . . . That Judy Collins?" Yes, it's that Judy Collins, whose beautiful voice (and eyes!) I remembered from my childhood, but whose life and continuing career I hadn't followed at all. Cravings is quite a lively and frank tour through both dieting history in general and Collins' own experiences with alcoholism and bulimia (among other problems) in particular. Yes, there's some name-dropping and a bit of out-there stuff that borders on being flaky, but the woman has gotten it together, seems quite vital and healthy at 78, and her insights are often good. Whether I, or anyone else, would want to follow to the letter her stringent dietary solution to her food woes is another question, but her basic conclusions about what to eat (protein, veggies, a little fruit) and not to eat (sugar, flour, junk) are solid, and consistent with what seems to be the growing consensus today.